large cities produce 83% of total economic output in the united states. the 30 largest cities account for half of all u.s. gdp. 81% of americans live in urban areas and the population of cities is growing. the urban population increased by 12% between 2000 and 2010. compared with an overall rise of less than 10%. the five fastest growing metro areas are washington, austin, texas, hinesville, georgia, mcallen, texas, and raleigh, north carolina. i want to bring in the professor at the university of toronto and the author of the rise of the creative class revisited. you say cities have become more livable but not all cities are booming. what do the successful cities do right? >> well, i think there's a few things that successful cities do right. the most important thing is that they invest in their human capital. they invest in their talented people. they have great high schools and particularly colleges and universities, but also the best cities are making themselves attractive for highly skilled, ambitious, and entrepreneurial people. they have brought cr